Arrangements made to hold sixth population census from March 15

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has finalised all arrangements to conduct the much-awaited and sixth population census from March 15, 2017, official sources revealed on Monday.

“The census will be held in two phases starting from March 15, 2017”.

The first phase of the census would be completed in mid-April, while the second phase was likely to start from April 24 to end in mid-May.

Preliminary results of the national population census would start coming in from June that would be made public accordingly, sources said while explaining the due process.

“PBS has already divided the country’s population into 1, 68,120 blocks. Each block consists of some 200-250 households,” they said, adding that over 84,000 enumerators would be involved in the nationwide exercise.

The bureau was aiming to conduct a transparent national population census and was also initiating training programmes for the staffers who would facilitate the exercise.

“Pakistan Army would be providing security for conducting the population census. One army personnel for each enumerator would be engaged for ensuring a smooth and secure data collection”.

During the first phase, population census would begin from Mardan and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from Faisalabad, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sargodha in Punjab, from Quetta, Zhob, Sibbi and Makran in Balochistan and from Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh.

In the Federal Capital, the population headcount would be held in the first phase, while, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan and FATA (Federally administered tribal areas) would be covered in the second phase.

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the transgender community would also be a part of the national population census on the instruction of the Lahore High Court.

It is important to mention here that Pakistan had its population census in 1998 and the law insists that the federal government hold a population census after every ten years.